


The Other World

by Kingless



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Magic, Attempt at Humor, Comedy, Eventual Romance, Fae & Fairies, Fae!Felix, Fae!Jeongin, M/M, Magic, Monsters, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other World AU, Romance, academy au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:15:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27021868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kingless/pseuds/Kingless
Summary: Jisung was shipped off to Saint Marvin’s school for troubled boys at the ripe age of fourteen. He met his best friend at the gates, and he met possibly the love of his life just beyond them. Sure, that’s dramatic. But Jisung’s never tripped over his own feet and face planted into a brick wall after making eye contact with a pretty boy before, so let him think what he wants.He’s spent three years quietly nursing his affection and friendship while stranded on the gloomy island his parents thought would build character. And as the Valentine's ball approaches, he's finally ready to make his move. And it's that move that lands him and six innocent bystanders on mail room duty. Just when things seem their bleakest, something...weird happens.When Jisung lets his curiosity get the best of him and opens an unmarked package hidden deep in the dust of the mail room he may make their situation go from bad to worse. He used to think Saint Marvin’s was way too far from home, now that seemed closer than ever compared to where he and the unlucky lot from the mail room have found themselves. He never should have opened that package.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	1. Love Is In The Air...Or Maybe That's Glitter

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! So!! I just need to clarify, the ages in this fic will change!! The starting ages, however, are as follows!!  
> Chan and Minho - 18 to graduate from Saint Marvin's that year. Jisung, Changbin, Hyunjin, and Seungmin - 17, a year from graduation.  
> Now that we've got that all squared away, please enjoy and don't forget to scream at me in the comments!! All my love!! <3

Saint Marvin’s. A silver gated prison for the souls of free spirited youth. Some say, a place where fun dies. But not today, not if Jisung could help it. The Valentine’s ball was the biggest event of the year at Marvin’s, almost trumping Christmas break. Because while everyone got to go home for break to party, the party came to Marvin’s for Valentine’s. 

The one time of year that other schools were invited onto the school grounds, girls and guys alike, not that it mattered to Jisung. And that was for one reason and one reason only, he was finally going to work up the nerve to ask his long time crush to the dance. But that would come later, because right now, Jisung was about to deliver some spirit lifting Valentine’s grams to every class at Saint Marvin’s academy for troubled youth. 

“This is a bad idea” Changbin said, Jisung pulled up his diaper. 

“No such thing as a bad idea when I look this good” he said, Changbin cringed. 

“The fact that you can say that in a diaper and a sash is beyond me” he said, Jisung checked himself in the boy’s bathroom mirror. He had been planning this for weeks. He wasn’t about to let Changbin’s naysaying dampen his mood, plus, he needed to keep his head in the game. It took a lot of blind confidence to do what he was about to do. 

“Shut up and throw some glitter on me” Jisung said, spreading his arms. Changbin shook his head but shoved his hand into the plastic pouch of red glitter they brought with them. He tossed it at Jisung’s chest, it stuck well enough. Jisung gave himself another once over and grinned, “perfect” he said, adjusting his sash that read ‘Cupid’ one more time. “Alright, you remember the plan?” he asked, reaching down to pick up his basket of labeled pink boxes and his skateboard. 

“You mean the plan that’s about to get you a month’s worth of yard duty for public indecency and disrupting classes?” Changbin asked, tossing the rest of the glitter into the trash bin. Jisung gave him a look, Changbin rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’ll have Minho in the quad just after the lunch bell. But that only leaves you ten minutes to get those to all ten of the classes in the H block. Are you sure you’re going to make it in time? I’m cool with Minho, but we always end up arguing when we hang out by ourselves” he said, folding his arms. Jisung pressed the toe of his sneaker against the edge of his board, balancing it neatly. 

“I’ve skated these halls more times than I can count on my delicate little fingers, I’ve got this. Just make sure Minho’s there” Jisung said with another grin, 

“Alright” Changbin said dubiously, they went to leave the bathroom. 

“You’re awfully judgy about my methods, what about you and your sad love life? Did Hyunjin finally turn you down enough?” Jisung asked, Changbin elbowed him in the ribs. Jisung choked on air, groaning as he held his bruised lung. 

“You worry about your nonexistent love life and I’ll worry about mine, besides, I’ve finally cracked the code. Hyunjin is used to the finer things, so I’ve got a plan this year” Changbin said, Jisung loved his friend’s optimism but if he was honest he couldn’t wait to see the way this played out. If Jisung was sad for keeping his feelings locked up, Changbin was just as sad for holding them out to his crush over and over again just to have them chopped up, simmered, and served back to him in different ways. Hyunjin was brutal that way. Brutal and gorgeous and lucky for Changbin, gay. Well, maybe lucky. Just like Jisung failed to say anything beyond the usual ‘hey, how’s it going’ to Minho every year Changbin failed to get beyond a terrible pick up line with Hyunjin. Mostly because, like Jisung mentioned, Hyunjin shot him down pretty harshly every time. But Changbin was nothing if not persistent. 

Past failures aside, Jisung was well and truly ready this year. So with his diaper dry and his sash pulled tight Jisung dropped his skateboard outside in the hall, checking the time. 

“Ten minutes” Changbin said, 

“That’s all I need” Jisung said, ten classes, ten boxes full of love notes. Ten minutes to do it. He had this in the bag. He readied himself, basket in the crook of his elbow. And then the shrill bell rang for passing period between last class and lunch. With a hard kick, Jisung took off. He gained momentum with a few more, and then he was flying. 

Jisung knew those halls like the back of his hand, he went dodging around corners and hopping down steps. Then people started pouring out of classes. Jisung knew H block always got out late because they were all SAT prep classes, he had time to get there before the teachers dismissed them. Jisung went flying off the top step of the final set of stairs into the H block, and then it was crunch time. 

As each door opened Jisung reached into his basket and plucked the right box from it, with a well aimed swing of his arm and shout of warning each box flew true into their designated class. A few teachers shouted in surprise, one cursed, and at least three called Jisung’s name in anger. Jisung was moving too fast to stop. He tossed the last box into its doorway and then went skirting down the long hall toward the quad. Now all he had to do was vault over the shrubs and Changbin should be waiting there with Minho. 

Jisung reached into the basket for the final love note, a rose attached to this one with Minho’s name scrawled in nice hand writing that belonged to Jisung’s bunkmate Seungmin. He tossed the basket, pushed off the ground some more to gain some more speed. And then the bushes came into view. Jisung took a breath and then jumped, flying high over the bushes and losing his board in the process. 

In most cases like this Jisung would tuck and roll, he’d done enough falling to know how. But the unfortunate thing was that right on the other side of those bushes wasn’t a nice grass patch but a pair of passing students. Not just any passing students, but Hyunjin and someone else. Jisung sucked in a breath, meeting Hyunjin’s gaze just as he went smacking into him with full force. Their heads knocked together, Jisung’s full weight knocking Hyunjin to the ground and rolling them halfway across the grass patch with his momentum. The world was spinning, Jisung’s ears were ringing. A shadow was cast over him and there was muted talking and some shouting. Jisung blinked a few times, taking in the faces looming over him. He was glad to see Changbin, but he felt his stomach roll as he found a pair of familiar dark eyes blinking down at him. Minho was practically glowing in the sunlight, as gorgeous as ever. And there Jisung was, making a fool of himself. And to make things worse, Chan was the third pair of eyes staring down at them. Sure, he looked concerned, that was just like Chan. All caring and whatnot, stupid Chan. 

“Dude, are you going to pass out?” Changbin asked, Jisung rubbed his head where it had made contact with Hyunjin’s. 

“No...but I might puke” he said, Changbin helped him up. Hyunjin sat up with Chan’s help, groaning as he rubbed his head. 

“What is wrong with you?” Hyunjin complained, wincing as he touched the growing bump there. 

“Sorry, I didn’t expect you to be there” Jisung said, Hyunjin gave him a scathing look. Before he could say anything as scathing, though, there was a shout behind them. 

“Han Jisung!” it was the vice dean, red in the face and disheveled as she leaned on the railing behind the bushes. “You, and all of you- you, you, you, you, and-and you-” she pointed at all of them, Chan and Minho included. And strangely enough a poor passerby who happened to be Jisung’s bunkmate, Seungmin blinked as he peered up from his book in confusion. “Report to the dean’s office, now!” The vice dean screeched, out of breath. Hyunjin gasped, Chan grimaced, Changbin groaned, and Minho muttered a curse. Jisung tried to think of something to say, anything. But really, what could he say? His plan had not only backfired horribly, but now it had probably cost him any chance of asking Minho to the Valentine’s ball. Plus, Hyunjin was probably going to wreak some terrible revenge on him later. Also, Seungmin was probably going to put something gross in his bed tonight as his own kind of vengeance. Jisung’s confidence vanished and his demeanor deflated entirely. 

With mutters and groans they were all marched to the dean's office and sat in a row of chairs in the hall. Jisung was still in his diaper and sash get-up, the glitter was starting to itch too. 

“So, uh, what’s with the diaper?” Chan asked, hiding a grin in his shoulder as he peered at Jisung. Jisung slouched, glancing away. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he muttered, 

“He volunteered to deliver valentine’s grams this year” Changbin answered, Jisung gave him a look. Changbin ignored him, “and, he wanted to-” Jisung lunged, slapping his hands over Changbin’s mouth. 

“That’s enough, that was it. Just Valentine’s grams, yup” Jisung said frantically, 

“Then what did you want to meet me in the quad for?” Minho asked, Jisung felt his temperature rising. 

“N-n-no reason” Jisung stuttered, nearly biting his own tongue. Minho smirked, gaze shining as he regarded Jisung. And it was moments like these that Jisung almost wondered if Minho knew the torch he held for him, and it made Jisung want to combust. 

“You should be the only one here, you’re the one that broke the rules and nearly gave me a concussion with your thick skull” Hyunjin pitched in, irritated. 

“I didn’t mean to!” Jisung cried, throwing his hands down in exasperation. 

“It was an accident, Hyunjin” Chan pointed out, Jisung’s temper spiked. 

“I don’t need you to defend me” Jisung said irritably, 

“He was just being nice, you could learn a thing or two from him you know” Hyunjin sniped, Jisung scoffed. 

“Please, have you checked your attitude? You’re the one that needs to learn something” he shot back, an argument breaking out loudly between them. 

“Alright, all of you” the snap of the dean’s voice startled all of them back into their seats, the dean was a tall, blonde woman with sharp blue eyes. She commanded respect in a way that scared Jisung down to his socks, “I understand that the Valentine’s ball is an exciting time for you all, but Han Jisung, this wardrobe choice is unacceptable on even the hottest day of the year” she said, Jisung felt himself blush heavily under her scrutiny. “The rest of you, I’m sure vice dean Abernathy had her reasons for calling you in here considering the story she wheezed to me earlier. So I’ll make this simple, you have a choice. You can all sit in detention for a week-” Jisung and Changbin exchanged a glance that screamed, ‘dear God, please no’. “Or-” oh thank God, “you can all spend the day cleaning and sorting the mail room” she said, this time they all shared glances. 

With hung heads they gave their answers, 

“Mail room please” Chan said, expression pinching. 

“Ditto” Jisung murmured, they all mumbled their agreement. 

“Alright, all of you follow me” the dean said, beckoning them. “Jisung, I’ll have you borrow a loner uniform from the nurse” she said, Jisung nodded. 

Once they reached the main part of the office Jisung was sent his own way to change only to return no longer in a diaper but still covered in itchy glitter about ten minutes later. They didn't have a full uniform for him to borrow, but they had most of one. The same white button down, black slacks, and dress shoes. He was just lacking the blazer and tie. 

The mail room was in the back of the office and as cluttered as any hoarder’s living room. There was mail from old students, current students, and teachers throughout the ages. From letters to packages, it was a nightmare painted in beige and postage stamps. The others were already mulling around when Jisung arrived, 

“I’m glad I can only see your wrists and face now, Jisung” the dean said, 

“Sorry dean Foreman” Jisung said sheepishly, 

“Mm, now, I’ve already explained everything to the others. I’ll have them catch you up, but everything on this table is going to the junk yard” the dean said, going over to the front table. Jisung’s interest peaked a bit at the sight of all the old packages. There was bound to be all sorts of undelivered treasures in there, and if they were just going to the junk yard maybe Jisung could get away with sneaking a peak at a few of them. “I’ll come back to check on you all in a few hours, sing a working song if you’d like” she flashed them an amused smile before finally leaving the mail room, closing the door behind her. 

“‘Sing a working song if you’d like’, ugh” Hyunjin mocked the dean’s words to himself as he tossed a pile of dusty mail into a nearby box, “this is so stupid, Jisung should be doing this by himself” he complained, 

“I agree, I literally don’t even know what happened” Seungmin spoke for the first time since accidentally getting roped into Jisung’s mess by the vice deans wrath, 

“Yeah, sorry about this buddy, really” Jisung apologized, Seungmin gave him a bland look as he tossed a thick letter into one of the boxes. Jisung sighed and began picking up piles of letters, peering at the boxes. They were all labeled by year and whether they belonged to a student, faculty, or teacher. Easy enough, Jisung started sorting. 

They all ambled around, sorting mail and talking about whatever there was to talk about. And then the Valentine’s ball was brought up, Jisung’s ears grew a few sizes as Minho finally spoke up. 

“I don’t go to those things, it’s always the same crap. Shitty decorations, shitty music, shitty company and no alcohol” Minho waved a letter around as he rolled his eyes, 

“You really shouldn’t drink” Chan said, lifting a hefty box of letters. Minho shoved a letter into his pants, 

“And you should” he said, “seriously, loosen up a little golden boy. Let your freak flag fly, you’d be ten times hotter if you did” he wiggled his eyebrows, Jisung tightened his grip on the letter in his hands. Chan chuckled as he went to put the box of letters by the door, 

“Thanks but no thanks, I’ll wait till I’m legal like everyone else” he said, 

“Jokes on you, everyone else is doing exactly what I’m doing Channie” Minho said, 

“I’ll be shocked if you graduate, honestly” Hyunjin said, 

“Oh, bitter little man, don’t be angry that you can’t get a date but at least a dozen boys have asked me” Minho said, pouting. Jisung turned away, he was really getting his feelings hurt today. Hyunjin scoffed, 

“Please, half the gay guys at this school have slipped notes in my locker” he said, 

“Really?” Changbin said, in that higher pitched voice that Jisung had come to know as his ‘I’m very stressed out please don’t ask me about it’ voice. Jisung snorted to himself as he considered tearing up a few letters, at least he wasn’t the only one suffering right now. 

“Duh, in fact, I think I saw a letter from you in there too, Changbin” Hyunjin said, Jisung straightened up. Because he recognized that voice too. Here was a fact about Hyunjin, which made it really hard for Jisung to understand Changbin’s infatuation with him. Hyunjin could be mean, like, really mean. And when he was about to be mean, he took on this sweet tone of voice. It was like a tornado warning, and if you wanted your feelings spared, you had better run the other way. But they were trapped in the same room right now, there was nowhere to run. 

“A-ah, really? I don’t remember leaving you a letter” Changbin said nervously, Jisung glanced over his shoulder. Changbin was looking everywhere but Hyunjin, but Hyunjin had his sights set on Changbin. 

“I remember, you did. I didn’t read it, just so you know” Hyunjin said, Changbin seemed to deflate a bit. 

“Like I said, I don’t really-” 

“Wait, wait a second” Hyunjin’s gaze lit up, a laugh in his voice. “You didn’t leave me a letter, you’re the one that left me those golden roses. The whole dozen, oh my god” he began to laugh, Jisung felt his jaw tighten as he watched his best friend shrink on himself. “That was so embarrassing, more for you than me but yikes. How much money did you even spend on those?” he snorted, 

“Hyunjin, that’s enough” Chan said quietly, Hyunjin was still laughing. 

“No, seriously, I want to know. How much?” he pressed, Jisung felt his temper rising. 

“Don’t worry about it” Changbin muttered, shoving some letters into a nearby box. 

“Come on, was it a lot?” Hyunjin asked, entirely amused by Changbin’s affections. Changbin elected not to say anything now, “was it-” 

“Lay off already, would you?” Jisung snapped, storming toward him. Hyunjin backed up a step, that smile finally disappearing. 

“What, I was only curious” he said, 

“No, you were being an asshole” Minho butted in, Hyunjin rolled his eyes. 

“Please, it was just a question. Don’t be so sensitive” he said, moving away from Jisung and toward another dusty box in the corner. He seemed subdued finally, Jisung glanced at Changbin who was still shoving letters into boxes. He sighed, he should probably just leave him be for now. Jisung turned around, gaze falling on the precariously stacked packages. 

Again, that insatiable curiosity began to eat him. He couldn’t help but wonder what was in all those boxes. And what was the harm of opening one or two? They all looked ancient anyway. Jisung crept over, glancing at the door to the mailroom briefly. Once he was sure he was in the clear he began digging through them, shaking a box here and there. At the very bottom of the pile was a rather large box, there was no name on it. Just the school’s address. It was weird that they even accepted it, but hey, he wasn't here to judge. Just to be nosy. Jisung began picking at the tape, peeling it up on one side. It took some meticulous picking and peeling but he was able to get it open without much damage, he figured he could just pat the tape back down once he saw what was inside. 

What was inside, though...what...was that? Jisung reached inside, brow furrowed as he took in the round mirror. The edges were carved with some kind of weird writing. It looked ancient. Jisung turned it, peering at it curiously. How weird…

“What the heck is that?” Seungmin asked, Jisung startled a bit at being caught. Then again, he’d hefted the thing practically into the air. Jisung turned around, 

“Uh, dunno. I was just curious but uh...yeah, I have no clue” he said, presenting it with a quirk to his lips. 

“It looks like an heirloom,” Chan said, peering at it curiously. 

“Huh, maybe it’s worth something” Minho said, folding his arms. Maybe, but Jisung had his doubts. 

“Who was it sent to?” Changbin asked, finally turning away from cramming his boxes full of letters. 

“Dunno, there’s no name for the sending or return address” Jisung said, 

“That’s insanely shady” Hyunjin said, Jisung kind of had to agree. “What are you even going to do with it? It’s goddy” Hyunjin said, coming over and pulling it from Jisung’s grip. His nose was wrinkled as he turned it over in his hands, “and it’s so heavy” he said, 

“Yeah, and it doesn't belong to you, give it back” Jisung said defensively, 

“It doesn't belong to you either, and I’m just looking at it” Hyunjin said, 

“Why are you such a brat, just give it to me. I have to put it back before we get caught” Jisung said irritably, 

“Brat?” Hyunjin gaped, holding the mirror just out of Jisung’s reach. 

“Yes, brat” Jisung said, lunging for the mirror. He knocked into Hyunjin, throwing him off a little. They teetered, Jisung sucked in air as the mirror slipped from Hyunjin’s grasp. They all watched as it went clattering to the ground, Jisung winced and they all froze. The glass...didn’t shatter. 

“What kind of super glass is that?” Changbin muttered, reaching down to touch it. The moment his fingers brushed the surface, though, the glass made a crackling sound. Electricity snapped across its surface, Changbin jumped back and everyone startled. 

“What’s happening?” Minho asked, anxious as they watched the electricity crackle in the air over the mirror’s surface. 

“I’m dreaming, I’ve gotta be dreaming” Seungmin was muttering to himself, Jisung really hoped he was too. The blue electricity pulled in toward the center, forming a bright blue ball that sunk into the mirror’s surface. And then all at once, it imploded. There was a sound like a sonic boom and Jisung’s vision blurred, it felt like he was falling out of his own skin. And then everything went black.


	2. Where Oh Where Could We Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boop boop! Finally an update!   
> All my love! <3

There was a chill in the air, Jisung made a soft noise of complaint as he shifted. 

“Seungmin...close the window” he muttered, turning onto his side. Something tickled his face, making a sneeze come on. Jisung wrinkled his nose, peeling his eyes open. He blinked heavily a few times, confused by how groggy he felt and by the grass brushing his face. His brow furrowed as he tried to recount his steps, how did he end up outside? What time was it? Wait, he was...in the mail room. With Changbin and Hyunjin...Minho, Chan, and Seungmin. 

And then he found that mirror. The memory of electricity and that weird explosion flashed across his mind and his heart jumped. Jisung bolted upright, breath stuttering in his chest as he whipped his head back and forth. He wasn’t in the mail room anymore, in fact, he wasn’t on school grounds at all by the looks of it. 

Actually, he had no clue where he was. He was in long, thick grass on some kind of cliff. And he wasn’t alone. Jisung scrambled onto his knees, crawling toward Changbin where he was sprawled on his stomach. 

“Bin...Changbin!” Jisung hissed, anxious as he shook his friend. Changbin groaned, shifting in the grass. 

“Ugh...what the..?” He muttered, lifting his head and squinting hard at the grass and then up at Jisung. “If you’re pranking me again, I’m sending pictures of your ass to everyone in our school” he said irritably, 

“If I was pranking you there would be way more shaving cream, get up dude” Jisung said, smacking Changbin across the back. Changbin muttered a curse as he got up, Jisung got to his feet too. He took a good look around, 

“Oh no” he murmured, everyone from the mailroom was there. Chan wasn’t too far off, still unconscious. Minho was a few feet away on his side. Seungmin was spread eagle in the grass in the distance. And Hyunjin...where was Hyunjin? 

“Wait..wait a minute, we were- and you- mirror- what the- what the fu-” a scream startled them both into each other’s arms, staring around like a couple of owls as it echoed into the sky. 

“Was that-?” 

“Hyunjin, I’d know that scream anywhere,” Changbin said, still clinging to Jisung. 

“Wait, what?” Jisung said, baffled. 

“Don’t act like you don’t recognize Minho’s sneezes” Changbin scoffed, 

“He has a very unique sneeze” Jisung said defensively, 

“Someone help me!” a voice screamed, yup, that was definitely Hyunjin. 

“What is happening?” a voice groaned, they both looked over as Minho turned over. Changbin and Jisung jumped away from each other, Minho sat up with another moan, hand to his head like it hurt. “Where the hell are we?” he asked, squinting around. 

“That’s the question of the day” Jisung said, still looking around a bit frantically. “Question two, is where the heck is-” another scream sounded from the far end of the cliff, actually, it sounded like it was coming from...the edge of the cliff. “Oh no” Jisung ran toward it, stumbling to a stop the closer he got. Down below was a cavernous drop, ledges jutting out on either side. And a few feet below Jisung’s feet was their missing person. 

Hyunjin was pressed against the craggy wall of the cliff, arms spread and feet planted on the ledge. He looked up when Jisung appeared, his expression morphing from horror to despair. 

“Please tell me someone else is up there to save me” he pleaded, 

“Uh, Chan is up here” Jisung said nervously, Hyunjin let his head fall back. 

“Oh thank god” he cried, 

“But he’s unconscious” Jisung said, 

“I’m going to die here” Hyunjin whimpered, Changbin came hurtling down the pass with Minho close behind moments later. 

“What’s going on? Who’s down there?” Minho asked, 

“Hyunjin, he’s stuck on a ledge” Jisung said, Minho raised a brow as he peered over the edge. 

“Guess we shouldn’t push him, huh?” he murmured, 

“Not the time for jokes!” Hyunjin screeched, 

“We’ve gotta pull him up” Changbin said, 

“How? Between you and me we’ve got the collective strength of a hamster” Jisung said, 

“Uh, no, between you and you, you’ve got the collective strength of a hamster. I’ve seen Changbin during gym, he’s got arms for days” Minho said, folding his own arms. Jisung looked at his best friends, 

“What? Where?” he asked, Changbin rolled his eyes and went to the edge of the cliff. He sat down and braced his feet as low as he could on the wall, 

“Hyunjin, take my hands” Changbin instructed, 

“No! You’re gonna drop me” Hyunjin snapped, 

“Just do it, you primadonna” Minho said irritably, Hyunjin spit a curse at him but reached up. Changbin leaned as far down as he could, Jisung watched from the side as Hyunjin caught hold of Changbin’s hands. Changbin pulled him up with more ease than Jisung thought possible, Hyunjin made a noise of distress as he was lifted up. He got a foot on the edge of the cliff and vaulted forward, flying into Changbin and toppling them onto the grass. 

“Whoa” Jisung murmured, Hyunjin sat up, straddling Changbin. 

“I’ll say this once and only once, thank you so much” Hyunjin said, staring hard down at Changbin. Changbin who looked like he was on the verge of combusting, “now someone please, for the love of god, tell me where the hell we are” Hyunjin pleaded, climbing off Changbin and dusting himself off. 

“Well, I can tell you where we aren’t. Amsterdam, England, Korea, Saint Marvin’s” Jisung went on, ticking places off across his fingers. Changbin climbed to his feet, clearing his throat and adjusting his pants a bit. 

“Is this really the time for jokes? Some freak mirror just exploded and teleported us out here, we have no clue where we are or how we’re going to get home. And you’re going to sit here and make jokes?” Hyunjin said incredulously, 

“No, I’m standing here making jokes” Jisung said, 

“Dude” Changbin said in exasperation, 

“I’m sorry this is how I cope!” Jisung exploded, “I’m just as confused and terrified as you guys are, alright? I don’t know why you keep asking me questions expecting me to know the answers” he said, distressed. 

“You’re right, why am I even talking to you right now?” Hyunjin rolled his eyes before looking around, then he gasped. “Chan!” He cried, bolting across the green. 

“As annoying as he is, he’s got the right idea. Chan is good in panic situations, we should also check on your friend over there” Minho pointed toward Seungmin who still lay unconscious further away, Jisung bit back a bitter comment and took a jog toward Seungmin instead. They could all go check on ‘poor’ Chan by themselves. 

Seungmin was still pretty out of it when Jisung arrived, he couldn’t even focus his vision much when Jisung shook him awake. 

“What’s going on? Why do I feel so nauseous?” Seungmin groaned, 

“Dunno, the rest of us feel fine. Kinda. Can you stand up?” Jisung asked, Seungmin frowned a bit but turned over onto his knees to try. It took a few false starts but Jisung was able to get him onto unsteady feet. While everyone else seemed relatively okay, Seungmin seemed...not. He seemed pale and really out of it, blinking around and swaying a bit. “Are you alright?” Jisung asked, concerned. Seungmin blinked heavily once more, shaking his head a bit. 

“I uh, I just feel a bit out of it. I’m fine” Seungmin murmured, pulling out of Jisung’s grasp to amble toward the others. Jisung watched him go, and maybe it was his eyes playing tricks on him, but it almost looked like there was a shadow clinging to him. Walking right against him. Jisung shook his head, nah. He followed Seungmin to where the others were standing with a now awake Chan. He looked okay too, not off like Seungmin. Great. 

“It must have been some kind of magic” Chan murmured, Jisung snorted. 

“Magic? That’s what we’re chalking it up to?” he asked, 

“Do you have any other ideas, genius?” Hyunjin snapped, arms as cross as his tone. 

“Well, no, but magic? Really?” Jisung said, 

“There’s really no other explanation” Minho murmured, Jisung sighed to himself. Fine, maybe it was magic. 

“What do we do now?” Changbin asked, Chan looked up and then around. Then he faced the forest looming behind them. Jisung’s seen forests before, trees and foliage and stuff. But this forest harbored massive trees with weird shaped leaves, and the shadows in there almost seemed to stretch further than normal ones do. The entire place screamed ‘stay out’ in Jisung’s mind. 

“We go that way” Chan pointed toward the forest, 

“What if we get lost?” Minho asked, uncertain. 

“It’s better than staying here” Changbin said, 

“We’re gonna die in there, I’m telling you, we should just stay here and wait for someone to find us” Jisung stressed, 

“Or until we starve to death, or some bear comes by and decides we look delicious” Hyunjin sniped, Jisung was getting really tired of being shot down by him. 

“This doesn’t seem like a normal situation, I think moving might be our best bet. Specifically, to find someone that might be able to tell us where we are” Chan said, Jisung glanced at Seungmin briefly. And what if one of us doesn’t look like we’d make it further than ten steps? 

“Alright, into the forest it is” Minho said, peering at the forest in question anxiously. 

“Just stay together, we’ll be safe that way” Chan instructed, already moving up the hill toward the treeline. Jisung lagged back, watching the tops of the trees sway. They were up so high it was no wonder they couldn’t feel a breeze as they breached the forest. 

Jisung was immediately unsettled being in there, but they kept walking. No one would listen to him if he said stop, anyway. 

The forest here definitely didn’t look like any place Jisung had seen or been before. The trees at the forefront had already been so massive Jisung didn’t think they could get bigger, though they did. And they got weirder too. The leaves were different shapes and colors Jisung hadn’t seen in nature before. Dark blues and some purples, reds and golds.

“Does anyone else feel like they’re suddenly in a Dr. Seuss book?” Jisung murmured, 

“I was thinking the Lorax too,” Minho said, peering up into the canopy of leaves way overhead. Jisung glanced to his left briefly, just sort of scanning his surroundings. But his steps fumbled when he laid eyes on a huge mushroom, like, the size of an out house huge. 

“Something’s not right with this place” Jisung muttered, deciding to follow the others instead of gawking at the mushroom some more. They kept walking for a while, Jisung tried to find the sun but it was kind of hard with all the leaves. And they were getting thicker the further into the forest they got. But maybe a few hours later Jisung saw it again, the same giant mushroom. He slowed his steps, “we went in a circle” he declared, 

“What?” Hyunjin said, 

“How do you know?” Changbin asked, Jisung pointed at the mushroom. 

“We’ve passed that before” he said, 

“How are you so sure?” Hyunjin asked, 

“I think I’d know if we passed a giant mushroom more than once” Jisung said blandly, 

“Let’s change direction” Chan suggested, there was a murmur of agreement and some praise. Chan picked another direction and they all followed. Jisung pressed his lips into a thin line, Chan saves the day again. Yipee. 

The part of the forest they found themselves in a little while later was by far the most unsettling. The ground was soft and kind of goopy in some places, and there were vines everywhere. Hanging like curtains, curling overhead and crawling up tree trunks. Jisung could feel the air get kind of warm the deeper into the vines they went, it was more like a rainforest here. Which was bizarre. There couldn’t be two entirely different climates in such close proximity like that, right? At least, not such different ones. 

“Ah!” Minho cried out, Jisung whipped his head around immediately. Minho was stuck in a puddle of mud, tugging at his foot a bit frantically. 

“Hold on, don’t pull so hard, you’ll dislocate your ankle” Chan said quickly, Minho stopped pulling but he looked scared. Jisung tried to approach him, worried. 

“Chan, help him” Hyunjin stepped in Jisung’s way unintentionally, Jisung felt his temper flare. Seriously? Chan couldn’t solve all their problems, Jisung was good at stuff too. He could totally pull Minho out of a mud puddle. 

“I can-” Jisung started, 

“Chan!” Minho called, obviously anxious. Jisung felt himself deflate, well...so much for being Minho’s hero this time. And probably the next time, and the time after that. Jisung left the group, wandering toward a tree nearby. He kicked at the roots a bit, exposing them as the dirt was swept away. 

It made sense, he guessed. Chan was this strapping guy with a thousand watt smile, he was charming and cool. Jisung was...well, Jisung. He was goofy and people liked him plenty, but not like Chan. Jisung got invited to parties because people wanted to see him do a stunt off the roof after too much vodka. Chan got invited to parties because every eligible guy and girl there wanted a whack at him. Jisung didn’t even want all the guys or girls, he just...he just wanted to impress Minho. Jisung rested a hand against the tree, letting go of a long suffering sigh. But he- 

Something viscous and warm slopped onto the back of Jisung’s neck, he full body shuddered and looked up. Jisung wasn’t entirely sure what he was looking at until it made a thunderous noise that resembled a gurgle and opened its mouth, a long tongue rolling out. Frog. That was a frog the size of a short bus. Jisung could feel all his blood run cold. The frog croaked loudly, and then Jisung tensed all over. With a high pitched noise of fear he bolted, the frog’s tongue shooting from its mouth and smacking the ground with a loud and heavy thwack. 

Jisung went flying by the others, Changbin spun in a circle as he tried to follow him. 

“Sung-ah, what’s-” 

“Run!” Jisung screamed, there was about two seconds of hesitation before Hyunjin screamed and Minho cried out. Jisung looked over his shoulder and realized something, Minho was still stuck in the puddle. Everything in him said keep running, run as far away as he could as fast as he could. But...damn it, that one brain cell that made him a good person made him sprint in a half circle and go bolting right back toward the giant toad that was traipsing its way toward his friends. “Ahhhh!” Jisung screamed as he went sprinting past them again, 

“Jisung?” Changbin shouted, confused. 

“Over here! Come get me! Come on, you dumb, green smudge!” Jisung called, waving his arms and jumping as he went speeding around the toad. And luckily his plan worked, the toad turned his attention to the closer target. Jisung. His heart was hammering in his chest, but he needed to get this thing away from Minho. “Get Minho out, I’ll draw it away!” Jisung shouted, before anyone could respond Jisung was already running in the opposite direction. Still waving wildly and spitting insults at the amphibian. 

He was going to die. He was sure of it. The toad was going to crush him, or eat him. He wasn’t fast enough to outrun the thing as it began to hop, the ground trembling each time it landed. Jisung pumped his arms, breaths coming in huffs as he pushed himself as fast as he could. He curved suddenly, trying to confuse it. It followed with some ease, chasing Jisung through the trees until his foot caught something and he went flying toward the ground face first. 

His cheek and jaw made contact first, dragging through the dirt as he went skidding across a clearing. A stone caught his cheek, cutting into it painfully. The rest of his body followed, feet flying over his head before he rolled to a stop, dirt kicked up into a cloud around him. Jisung coughed, chest still heaving as he got onto his hands and knees. He noticed a shadow on the ground growing rapidly, Jisung’s eyes widened and he jerked his head up just as the frog came slamming down in the clearing. The ground shook and Jisung scrambled backwards, trying desperately to get away. But it was too late, the frog opened its mouth and its tongue came shooting out. 

It smacked into Jisung’s torso, goop splattering in his face just before he was pulled toward the frog with startling speed by his shirt. Jisung cried out, flailing and grabbing onto anything he could find. He caught the frog’s top lip with his hands, digging his nails in and holding on tight as the frog tried to pull Jisung down into its gullet. Warm goop poured down onto him, Jisung’s feet scrambled against the frog’s bottom lip as he trembled in his effort to not get swallowed. 

“I can’t die like this” Jisung sobbed, “please” he grunted, trying to pull himself out of the frog’s mouth by sheer force. He had no such luck, the pull of its tongue was too strong. Jisung felt his eyes well with tears, he was really going to die like this. That really blows. 

“Jisung! Hold on!” Minho’s voice found Jisung’s ears, he tried to look over his shoulder but it was no use. If he moved too much his arms would give and he’d be sucked in. But suddenly a cloud of dirt was thrown up into Jisung’s face, and whatever had caused it made the frog upset. Upset enough to spit Jisung out. Jisung went flying through the air with a shout, he smacked into someone and they went sprawling into the dirt. Both covered in copious amounts of goop now, especially as Jisung tried to get onto his feet by wiggling around onto his stomach on top of whoever had caught him. The unlucky soul was sprawled beneath him, groaning. Jisung barked a laugh, this had to be some cruel joke by God. Hyunjin scowled at Jisung and then grimaced at the goop on his shirt and pants. 

“Ugh, get off me” Hyunjin shoved Jisung off of him, 

“Get up you guys, we need to go!” Changbin shouted, Jisung looked over his shoulder. The frog was gurgling in the clearing, shaking its massive head back and forth. Its yellow eyes were shrouded in what looked like dirt, Jisung’s suspicions were confirmed when he spotted Chan running in circles around the frog with handfuls of dirt. Chan had saved him. Just like he saved everyone. 

“Don’t just lay there, come on” Minho appeared from almost nowhere, his left foot covered in mud but no longer stuck in the ground. Jisung was glad. They got up and made a quick getaway back into the thick of the forest, shouting to Chan once they were a safe distance away. Chan came running after them, hands dirty and face beaded with sweat. 

“Is everyone okay?” he asked, 

“Define okay” Seungmin said, looking sweaty and uneasy. Chan didn’t seem to have a quick enough comeback for him. The frog croaked loudly in the clearing not far enough behind them. 

“We can count our limbs later, come on” Jisung said urgently, for the first time ever, they all agreed with bursts of speed. They thundered through the forest as long as they could, and before long the croaking and gurgling was long gone and a new sound replaced the silence. 

“Is that running water?” Minho asked, head tilted as they walked between trees. 

“Sounds like a river, or a brook” Changbin said, 

“It’s coming from over there,” Chan pointed up ahead, leading them in the direction of running water. Just before they broke the treeline a loud croak startled them. Jisung grabbed Changbin, ducking behind him like a shield. 

“What was that?” Jisung asked anxiously, 

“It sounded like a bird,” Seungmin said, there was another croak that became a cackle. A suspiciously human cackle. The canopy above them trembled, they all looked up as something big and black came swooping down. Jisung yelped as he ducked again, Changbin cursing as he avoided the talons of a massive raven. It went flying up onto a nearby branch, perching and turning around to look at them with a cock of its head. 

“This place is seriously freaking me out” Hyunjin whined, ditto. The bird rolled its neck, wings shivering. It opened its beak, 

“This place is not what it seems” its words were rough and throaty, they sent a shiver of fear through Jisung. Putting the shock of seeing a bird talk aside. They all pressed closer, unsettled by the raven. “Be wary of what it offers...of what may seem nature’s gift, mother nature is not so often kind to those who do not know her well” its beak clicked on the last word, it spread its wings and with another human like cackle it flew off with a few powerful beats of its wings. 

They were silent, swaying like trees themselves but in tandem as they squeezed together in fear. 

“I wanna go home” Hyunjin whimpered, 

“L-let’s just keep going” Minho said, urging them onward. 

“That’s a good idea” Chan agreed, still watching above them anxiously. They followed the sound of water and soon found the river responsible for it. It was wide and crystalline as it ran between two grassy banks of mud. “We should follow it” Chan said, peering down either way that the river ran. “This way” he pointed in the same direction the water flowed,

“Are you sure?” Jisung asked, 

“People tend to settle near running water, if we’re going to find people this is our best bet” Chan said, nodding as he examined the grass near the water. Testing how much weight it would hold before falling apart, the chunks of mud and grass swept away with the water. 

“That’s pretty solid logic” Seungmin agreed quietly, watching the water in a sort of trance for a moment. Jisung was kinda worried about him, he still didn’t look well. But he was kind of worried about their entire situation right now. 

“Well, before we go anywhere I want to wash some of this goop off” Hyunjin said, moving toward the water. Jisung watched him go, but something settled in his gut suddenly as he laid eyes on the water. It glittered beneath the sunlight, but it almost seemed too blue. Unnaturally so. 

“Uh, didn’t our feathery friend say something about mother nature or whatever? I could be wrong but rivers come from mother nature, right? Maybe we shouldn’t mess with the water” Jisung said, shifting on his feet. He was still pretty goopy himself, but something about that river didn’t sit right with him. 

“You can be paranoid about the bird and stay sticky, I’m not” Hyunjin said, already kneeling by the water and slipping his arms into the stream. Jisung watched him scrub away the goop, even going so far as to wash his face. Well, his skin wasn’t melting off or anything so maybe it was fine. Jisung moved toward the river, but the moment he tried to stoop something nailed him sharply in the back of the head. 

“Ow! What the hell?” Jisung snapped, rubbing the back of his head and looking back at the others. 

“What?” Changbin asked, turning toward him. Jisung looked down, an acorn sat beside his foot. He reached down and picked it up, squinting at the forest a bit. Then he glanced at the river, this was a warning. 

“Hyunjin, get out of the water” Jisung said, dropping the acorn and moving over to grab Hyunjin by the back of the short. 

“What? Why, I’m still sticky” Hyunjin complained, 

“Something’s wrong with it” Jisung said, hauling him back until he relented and got up. 

“What’s wrong with it? I swear, if you’re just being paranoid I’m going to be so irritated” Hyunjin said, Jisung didn’t really have an answer. But whoever chucked that acorn at the back of his head was obviously trying to warn him. About what, he didn’t know. He just knew that the river was a no-no. How he could explain that without looking crazy, that was the difficult part. 

“The water’s fine, Jisung. That bird just has us all a little freaked out, is all” Chan butted in, 

“I told you it was fine, if you’re weren’t so stupidly handsome I’d tell you how stupid you are to your face” Hyunjin rolled his eyes, Jisung froze. All eyes snapped to Hyunjin. Hyunjin who crossed his arms, brow raised, completely oblivious to what he’d just said. “What?” he said irritably, Chan chuckled, a little pink in the cheeks. 

“Uh, let’s just rewind the tape a second” Minho said, spinning a finger in the air. “Did you really just call Chan handsome and stupid in one sentence? Who are you and what have you done with Hyunjin?” he asked, entirely amused by Hyunjin’s slip. Jisung was still kind of processing, Hyunjin was turning pink beneath their gazes. 

“I didn’t mean to say that...I thought it, but I didn’t mean to say it” he said, then he slapped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide. Jisung snorted and Minho busted up, bending at the waist as he laughed. Seungmin seemed amused too, Changbin just seemed perplexed and a little peeved. “It’s coming out like word vomit-” he glanced at Minho as Minho straightened up, still giggling manically. “I secretly envy how big your eyes are, they’re pretty” he said, and then gasped in horror. Jisung was beginning to catch on, giggling. 

“Whatever’s happening, I like it” he said, 

“Shut up!” Hyunjin hissed, “you’re really funny and I hate that you’re so popular, we used to-” Hyunjin covered his mouth again but this time he crouched and screamed into them, Jisung giggled harder and Minho started laughing again. 

“Alright, everyone calm down. Maybe it’s just...maybe it’s just the water, or something” Chan suggested, Jisung looked at the river. Hyunjin whipped his head up, 

“It has to be, there’s no way I’d say that Changbin has insanely hot arms” Hyunjin groaned and dropped his face into his hands, “my life is over” he sobbed, Jisung’s jaw fell open. He whipped his gaze over to his best friend. Changbin looked like he was buffering, Jisung waved a hand in front of his face. 

“Great, he’ll be like this for at least fifteen minutes” Jisung said, putting his hands on his hips. Hyunjin stood up, red in the face still. 

“We need to get out of here, wherever here is” he said, teeth gritted as he avoided looking at anyone. 

“Agreed, let’s keep going. We’re bound to run into someone that can help us” Chan said, shaking Changbin by the shoulder to get him going again. Jisung glanced at the forest one more time, maybe someone was already helping them…


End file.
